- The most labour-intensive weaving process, conducted by specially-trained artisans
-
Working off a rug map, artisans tie individual knots to build up the rug’s design
one row at a time
-
The quality of a hand-knotted rug is determined by the number of knots per square
inch (KSPI)
-
A higher KPSI requires greater skill on the part of the weaver and results in a
higher-quality rug
Rug Type-5'x8'
(150x240cm)
|
Time to Manufacture
|
Durability
|
|
Hand-Knotted
|
5-12 months
|
20+ years
|
How To Identify:
Individual, often uneven knots are visible on the back of these rugs, mirroring
the pattern visible on the front.
-
Individual tufts of yarn are punched into a pre-made backing fabric with a special
tufting gun
- This tool hooks and pulls yarn through the backing to form loops or piles
-
This process is less skill and labor-intensive than hand-knotting, so rugs can be
completed in a shorter amount of time
Rug Type-5'x8'
(150x240cm)
|
Time to Manufacture
|
Durability
|
|
Hand-Tufted
|
4-6 months
|
3-10 years
|
How To Identify:
These rugs have a canvas backing glued on to hold the knots in place and usually
have a cut or cut and loop pile.
- Flat-weave rugs are created on a loom, rather than knotted or tufted
- These rugs are often reversible, with designs on both sides
-
Because they only consist of warp and weft threads they don’t have the thickness
of knotted and tufted rugs
- Flat-weave rugs are lightweight and often require rug pads to stay in place
Rug Type-5'x8'
(150x240cm)
|
Time to Manufacture
|
Durability
|
|
Flat-Weave
|
3-4 months
|
20+ years
|
How To Identify:
With their woven construction, these rugs are flat and don’t have a pile.
- Weavers use a loom to create these rugs by hand
-
The loom holds the warp (vertical) threads in place and allows the interweaving
of the weft (horizontal)
-
Different looms are used to produce different types of rugs: including felted textures,
shag, naturals or solid and border rugs
Rug Type-5'x8'
(150x240cm)
|
Time to Manufacture
|
Durability
|
|
Hand-Loomed
|
Construction dependent (3-5 months)
|
3-10 years
|
How To Identify:
Hand-loomed rugs usually have a low to medium pile (other than shags, which have
a deep pile) and can have a canvas backing added to them.
